Author

I’ve interviewed Chris before, but it often pays to revisit people, especially old favourites (no, Chris isn’t old… quite the opposite), so here we are…

Christopher Stocking, Author

First, I’ll start with a brief intro. Chris and I met through the blogosphere. I can’t quite recall initial contact, but I do recall finding his blog posts entertaining and enlightening. He was a self-published author while I was still writing HEALER’S TOUCH. I enjoyed his blog posts so much, I read one of his early works. Now, I’m not going to say I was blown away… but I guess I always sensed that Chris has what it takes to get somewhere in this writing world. Is he there yet? Am I? Perhaps not yet… but it’s coming.

So, I returned to Chris’ work when he released another novel. I rather enjoyed London Darkness: Infernal Inventions, and felt it was definitely a move in the right direction in showing Chris’ growing talent. And then he released His Only Star, a YA novella, and I gave that a read, too. Again, this was a step forward, and the emotions Chris managed to bring into the book were real.

And the best way to watch an author, is to read an author… so, you know… go take a look…

And now, with no further ado… here’s that interview…

Hey, Chris. Tell us a little about yourself…

Well, first, I’m 23 years old, I’m married (I know, I know, I’m too young to be married! Or so I hear, anyway), and I love coffee. I also enjoy a few rounds of boxing (both engaging in and watching, that is).

Compassion is something we often reserve for others, but we need to give it to ourselves first and foremost. We’re artists, stay-at-home-moms, working moms, moms who care about the world around us, balancing budgets, making dinner and taking kids to their softball games/ ballet lessons/ Tae Kwon Do championships, etc.

We falter (Never fail). Sometimes, at only one thing. Other days (or weeks, or what seems like years), we feel like we’re faltering at everything and letting everyone we care about down.

As you all know, after umming and ahhing over whether to pursue a traditional publishing deal or go it alone, I finally settled on a compromise: I signed with a small press. For me, it gave me the best of both worlds: a little hand-holding, but not quite as big and scary as the full publishing world. I have got to say, if you can make it big in this world, the rewards are great. I’d love to believe I can, but the reality for many of us is that we’re not gonna shine quite that bright. Even so, we can shine… we can publish, we can be read, we can be loved.

And so I’ve published. I have fans now… really. One or two, anyway.

I’m not going to say I don’t ask “what if”… What if I’d aimed for a bigger deal?

And so, I wonder… what would it be like to work with an agent? What doors do they open? What doors do they close?

To help me, and any other writers curious about such things, Eric Ruben agreed to do an interview with me.

Here goes…

Hi Eric, I’d like to start things off by getting to know you…

So, you’re a lawyer, literary agent, talent manager and a stand-up comic? (Who wouldn’t want to work with you? is my question…). What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child?

I remember wanting to be the President, a talk show host, a comedian, talk show host, race car driver, actor, rock star.

You’ve managed to tick a few off that list… Presidency might be just around the corner!

OK. Let’s get down to why I brought you here…

In today’s world, writers have more options than ever before: holding out for a Big-5 deal, approaching small publishers, self-publishing, or serialising their work on a blog. With all these choices, and the chances of acceptance by an agent/big publisher so small, you can see why authors might choose the other channels. In talking to other writers, the biggest disadvantages of working with an agent, and pursuing a big traditional deal, seem to be: sharing a percentage, and the long wait between selling a book and seeing it on bookshelves (vs. clicking “Publish” on Amazon…). What do you feel an agent has to offer in this ever more competitive market?

Fellow author and blogger, Christopher Stocking’s first purely YA novella, “His Only Star”, was released this week. I’ve been a follower and friend of Chris for some time now. He’s a good keen storyteller, and I really look forward to seeing his writing career take off, as I’m sure it will in the not too distant future.